maslow's hierarchy of needs & expectancy theory
- by Andrew Kemp
The situation displayed in this Calvin & Hobbes comic demonstrates is excellent demonstration of principles from of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. It seems as though the strip’s main star, Calvin, has moved beyond the physiological, safety and social needs categories of the model and is now focusing on satisfying his esteem and self-actualization needs.
Esteem needs can be split into two groups: internal esteem factors and external esteem factors. Internal esteem factors include self-respect, autonomy and achievement, while external esteem factors include status, recognition and attention (Maslow, 1954). Calvin shows that he disagrees with Abraham Maslow’s idea that
Esteem needs can be split into two groups: internal esteem factors and external esteem factors. Internal esteem factors include self-respect, autonomy and achievement, while external esteem factors include status, recognition and attention (Maslow, 1954). Calvin shows that he disagrees with Abraham Maslow’s idea that
great accomplishments and high self-esteem should walk hand-in-hand by stating that “…we shouldn’t need accomplishments to feel good about ourselves. Self-esteem shouldn’t be conditional (Watterson, 1993).” Hobbes then asks Calvin if he fulfills his own internal esteem factors by lowering his expectations so low that they are already met, which Calvin confirms to be true, which shows how he uses the statement above to guide his personal standards of accomplishment in his life.
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Calvin therefore is beginning to demonstrate how he satisfies the next need in the hierarchy of needs model, self-actualization; by maintaining a completely mediocre level performance in just about everything he does. This idea is also supported by Maslow’s research, and a further study conducted by Mark E. Kolto-Riviera that demonstrates how self-actualization can be achieved when an individual meets what they believe their potential to be (Koltko-Rivera, 2006). Because Calvin does not demonstrate large, or even above-average, aspirations, he has taken a view on life that will allow him to achieve self-respect and a sense of achievement when either fully meeting the expectations of very simple goals or half-fulfilling the expectations of larger life goals. This idea of receiving an expected amount of intrinsic reward for mediocre performance is also supported by Expectancy Theory which states that individuals will put effort into realizing a goal if they believe that the rewards of doing so will be satisfactory (Oliver, 1974).
Although this may seem like a relatively bleak way of looking at how satisfaction is individually earned, it is not particularly far off what studies demonstrate to be the norm within groups of high school students. A study done by T.A. Ringness states that “the peer norm for achievement (among high school students) is seen as that of mediocrity, and since low achievers state less motivation for academic achievement, it would follow that an important problem to schools is that of finding a way to foster high-achieving values in the peer group at large (Ringness, 1967).“
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This study gives support to the idea that Calvin is happy with such a mediocre level of performance because in order to satisfy his social needs in Maslow’s Hierarchy, he needs to conform to groups standards set by his fellow classmates. If Calvin cannot fit in with his classmates, it is likely that he will be cast out from many social circles and dissatisfaction of external esteem factors, such as status and attention, will occur.
The comic strip finishes with Calvin demonstrating his mediocre level of performance by saying that his half-finished snowman is “good-enough.” He does not however simply say that he is happy with performance, but he also seems to seek the satisfaction of his external social needs by hoping that Hobbes agrees that his level of performance is satisfactory. Hobbes does not seem to approve of what Calvin believes is a normal level of performance in their society, and then goes on to say that he would like “to invest overseas” in hopes that performance levels overseas are set a little higher.
The comic strip finishes with Calvin demonstrating his mediocre level of performance by saying that his half-finished snowman is “good-enough.” He does not however simply say that he is happy with performance, but he also seems to seek the satisfaction of his external social needs by hoping that Hobbes agrees that his level of performance is satisfactory. Hobbes does not seem to approve of what Calvin believes is a normal level of performance in their society, and then goes on to say that he would like “to invest overseas” in hopes that performance levels overseas are set a little higher.